Chipotle: Cultivating a Better World
Back in June, I wrote about my undying love of Chipotle and its brand.
I wrote about the company’s original short film, released in 2011 and entitled, “Back to the Start.” The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system. The video reached more than four million views on YouTube when it aired during the 2012 Grammy Awards (in its entirety, 2 minutes and 20 seconds). At present, the video has a whopping 7.8 million views.
Fast-forward two years and so many months later to “The Scarecrow.”
I came across this new short film when it launched last Thursday, Sept. 11 and was in absolute awe. From the hauntingly beautiful Fiona Apple singing a childhood favorite, “Pure Imagination,” to the amazingly profound storytelling, I was hooked. Only Chipotle could weave a story that seems so simple, but is, in turn, a profound critique of our food industry. See for yourself.
Oh, and did I mention it’s based around marketing for a game? In collaboration with Academy Award-winning Moonbot Studios, “The Scarecrow” is an app-based, arcade-style adventure game that depicts a scarecrow’s journey to bring wholesome food back to the people by providing an alternative to the processed food that dominates his world (click here for a behind-the-scenes look). Here’s the official game description off its website.
The Scarecrow needs your help to foil the evil plans of Crow Foods and break the crows’ monopoly on food production and supply in the city of Plenty. Tilt your device to navigate through each level, outsmart the Crowbots, unlock extras, and restore hope for animals, farms, and the environment, while providing the citizens of Plenty a healthy and delicious alternative.
The buzz from Chipotle’s latest marketing coup is substantial. A simple Google News search for Chipotle and scarecrow returned more than 6,000 results. Every element has been meticulously thought through:
- Download Fiona Apple's cover of “Pure Imagination” from iTunes and proceeds ($.60 per download) go to the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which provides funding to support sustainable agriculture, family farming, and culinary education.
- Earn at least three stars on every level of the game and score a BOGO card for a Chipotle burrito, bowl, salad or order of tacos (while supplies last, sure, but who doesn’t love free food?).
And, all of the copy surrounding this campaign is clear and concise – case in point:
“The Scarecrow” is another chapter in our commitment to Food With Integrity, and represents what we aspire to accomplish through this mission. Our goal for “The Scarecrow” is to bring awareness of important issues to a broader audience, and we hope it entertains you as much as it makes you think.
Smart. Thought-provoking. Inspirational.
To leverage even more success, I’m curious to see if it runs during the Emmy Awards broadcast this weekend. It may have already netted more than 4.8 million YouTube views, but a primetime audience could mean a repeat of its initial “Back to the Start” success (and then some, especially considering the buzz is so big already). I’ll definitely keep an eye out.
So, how does this kind of campaign define Chipotle’s brand and tell its story? From a bigger branding picture, why does it matter? It’s rare for a large company to be so self-aware and smart that it builds a brand where it doesn’t have to blatantly use its own name in marketing and advertising. Chipotle relies on the wholesomeness of its food and emphasizes the importance of its cause to tell its overall brand story. From a bigger branding perspective, Chipotle’s success means more and more companies may need to figure out how to use similar tactics to build their own brands – and, for new companies, it’s a great example of the importance of working hard to do things right.
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Sources
“The Scarecrow,” ScarecrowGame.com, http://goo.gl/dTwNGV.
“The Scarecrow – Chipotle Mexican Grill.” MoonbotStudios.com, http://goo.gl/cOUhkK.
Brands We Love: Chipotle
I. love. Chipotle. There, I said it. And no, I’m not referring to the pepper, but the mouth-wateringly delicious Mexican grill.
The best part is, it goes beyond the food. I love the cheekiness of Chipotle’s brand, but the fact that it’s mixed with a “Food With Integrity” mission, I have become the most loyal of brand advocates.
But first, a little history: In 1993, Chipotle was founded by Steve Ellis in Colorado. Ells and his father calculated that the store would need to sell 107 burritos per day to be profitable. After one month, the original restaurant was selling over 1,000 burritos a day.
Chipotle’s menu consists of four simple options: burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads. And, four types of protein: chicken, pork carnitas, barbacoa (spicy, shredded beef) or steak (and of course, customers have the ability to make a vegetarian option as well).
Why such a limited menu? Steve Ells has said, “[I]t's important to keep the menu focused, because if you just do a few things, you can ensure that you do them better than anybody else.”
Well put. So, what about the brand?
First and foremost, a little more info on Chipotle’s “Food With Integrity” mission.
Food With Integrity is our commitment to finding the very best ingredients raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers. It means serving the very best sustainably raised food possible with an eye to great taste, great nutrition and great value.
It means that we support and sustain family farmers who respect the land and the animals in their care. It means that whenever possible we use meat from animals raised without the use of antibiotics or added hormones. And it means that we source organic and local produce when practical. And that we use dairy from cows raised without the use of synthetic hormones.
Food With Integrity is a journey that started more than a decade ago and one that will never end.
Quite a bold statement for a fast,casual dining chain.
And then there’s the physical branding. The packaging is irreverent and hilarious. The cups and bags tell a story, providing a little entertainment while you nosh on your burrito.
And, for the design nerds out there, you’ll find “Lorem ipsum” placeholder text on the larger carryout bags. (Huge props go out to Sequence, the creative development agency responsible for Chipotle’s quirky brand executions.)
In 2011, Chipotle released a short film entitled, “Back to the Start.” The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system.
The video reached more than four million views on YouTube when it aired, in its entirety (2 minutes and 20 seconds), during the 2012 Grammy Awards. At present, the video has a whopping 7.3 million views.
Chipotle has even launched a free, all-day food and music festival called Cultivate. Last year’s event in Chicago, paired chefs such as Amanda Freitag and Jonathan Waxman with local farmers for cooking demos, while CAA Marketing helped line up bands like Calexico to headline. As festivalgoers roamed through the entertainment, they discovered tents that informed them about shocking but common industrial-farming practices. This year, Cultivate will return to Chicago, but is also expanding, with events in San Francisco and Denver.
And the momentum continues…Last year, Chipotle ranked 34th on Fast Company’s list of The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies. Why? “For exploding all the rules of fast food.” So, thank you, Chipotle, for continuing to innovate and push us out of our fast food comfort zone. I am genuinely excited to see what’s in store (and am now, of course, craving a burrito bowl with chips and guac).
Sources
“Feeding frenzy,” Rocky Mountain News, Janet Forgrieve, Feb. 18, 2006
“Chipotle: Fast Food with Integrity,” Businessweek, http://goo.gl/l73fN
“Food With Integrity,” Chipotle.com, http://goo.gl/5SP20
“The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies,” Fast Company, Danielle Saks, http://goo.gl/7H771
P&G Brands Provide Relief to Those in Need
With all the news, images and heartbreaking videos coming out of Oklahoma, it’s impossible not to be saddened by the devastation left behind after this week’s storms. It is times like these that it’s easy to get distracted by all of the sad news and forget to notice what else comes from natural disasters like this: compassion, support and a helping hand.
Often large national brands and corporations are criticized for being too big and uncaring, but in some cases that couldn’t be farther from the truth, and a great example is Procter & Gamble. P&G is one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world, and it has done a fantastic job creating cause-related marketing through a number of programs. TheTide Loads of Hope, Duracell Power Forward and P&G Relief Center programs help communities by providing basic, but absolutely necessary services during a time of need.
P&G states, “We all know in the wake of a disaster, many of the simple things like clean clothes, a shower and making a phone call to loved ones become difficult. In an effort to restore a sense of normalcy, P&G people and our brands join together to help relief workers and families whose homes, clothing and personal items have been impacted and help to renew a sense of hope in a difficult time.”
It’s hard to understand how comforting such small necessities can become during these times. Below are three of P&G’s most successful relief programs (mentioned above), and more information about what they provide to families and relief workers in need.
Tide Loads of Hope
Tide Loads of Hope started after Hurricane Katrina. Since its inception, Loads of Hope has travelled to 31 different cities (that’s 40,025 miles!) and has helped 27,128 families by washing 35,717 loads of laundry. P&G acknowledges that Loads of Hope has become the pillar of the Tide brand and is now the No. 1 source of traffic to the Tide website.
Duracell Power Forward
We live in a highly connected world, and after a natural disaster, there is both an immediate and ongoing need to stay connected so we know loved ones are safe. But, finding working power outlets in these times can be a challenge. Following in Tide’s lead, Duracell rolled out its Power Forward Community Center in 2010 and more recently, its Rapid Responder, as a way for people in disaster stricken areas to charge their devices and distribute batteries. A marketing executive for Duracell said, “This is what the brand is about – empowering people through devices; connecting their families.”
P&G Relief Center
Staying true to the notion that after a disaster the smallest forms of normalcy can feel comforting, P&G recently launched the P&G Relief Center. This provides those in need of showers or personal items a place to go. The brands that can be found at the Relief Center are: Always, Secret, Pantene, Olay, OralB, Crest, Ivory, Tide, Gain, Duracell, Old Spice, Head & Shoulders, Aussie, Pampers, Mr. Clean, Joy, Dawn, Febreeze, Swiffer, Iams and Eukanuba.
Efforts like P&G’s remind us that even in a world where sad news always seems to overtake our media outlets, there is still a lot of good happening out there. And, it’s not just people in the local communities, but large national brands as well.
Humanitarian, Do-gooder Brands
I started writing today’s post about the recent controversy surrounding Abercrombie & Fitch and the effect on its brand, but I discovered I couldn’t be happier that I’m not a reporter – no matter how I approached it, I couldn’t be objective. A few links surrounding the story are below this post; feel free to make your own conclusions.
So, I decided to turn a negative story into a positive blog post and focus on humanitarian brands – brands that do good, and look good doing it. The following are a few brands I admire for how they represent themselves and what they do.
In January 2011, two young entrepreneurs Dale Partridge and Aaron Chavez got together with the mission of leading a generation toward generosity. With a belief that people mattered, they began a journey to change the world. On June 13, 2011, Sevenly was born. By creating weekly cause campaigns where customers could purchase products that gave $7 to a weekly charity, Sevenly successfully unlocked not only a way to crowd-fund for causes, but to drive massive social awareness as well.
charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. There are 800 million people on the planet who don't have clean water. It's hard to imagine what 800 million people looks like really, but one in nine might be easier. One in nine people in our world doesn't have access to the most basic of human needs. Something we can't imagine going 12 hours without.
We're not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $20 a person, we know how to help millions.
To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also invest directly into treatment and recovery.
As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) represents a force of more than 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide – all committed to making HRC's vision a reality.
Founded in 1980, HRC advocates on behalf of LGBT Americans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.
Finally, I stumbled across this last week and I find it a beautiful, philanthropic gesture from Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett – what’s even more incredible are those who have joined their pledge and the stories they tell.
The Giving Pledge is an effort to help address society’s most pressing problems by inviting the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit to giving more than half of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes either during their lifetime or after their death.
I know there are hundreds more benevolent brands and organizations out there- and personally, I can’t wait to spend my time learning about them. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments!
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As promised, here are the Abercrombie & Fitch story links
- The original interview (from 1/24/06): “The man behind Abercrombie & Fitch,” Salon.com, http://goo.gl/1mBZG
- Greg Karber’s video: “Abercrombie & Fitch Gets a Brand Readjustment #FitchTheHomeless,” YouTube.com, http://goo.gl/Bq6yu
- The story Karber’s video references: “Abercrombie Says It Would Rather Burn Clothes Than Give Them To Poor People,” EliteDaily.com, http://goo.gl/yrp27
- Well-rounded story (IMO): “Half-Naked, All-American Models Won't Be Enough To Keep Abercrombie Afloat,” Business Insider, http://goo.gl/LI0a8
- Finally, just because she’s awesome, here’s Ellen’s take: http://goo.gl/sw0Le
Community Naming: The Center
The idea: creative. The purpose: admirable. The name: underwhelming.
Pegasus Global Holdings has secured 20 square miles in New Mexico to serve as a mock town where they can study the environmental and global effects of specific technologies. "Innovators ... (can) to test renewable energy innovations in real world conditions, such as how does a solar panel work on a shadier lot?"
With a plot of land ripe for experiments, a 'ghost town' heritage, a team targeting innovators and specialists in their respective industries, and a $200 million dollar budget, "The Center" is the name they chose? If executed correctly, Pegasus Holdings has a real opportunity to create some press and engagement around this initiative. With a name like "The Center", they've missed the mark.
How about playing up the environmental aspect in the name? Or if that is too trite, what about the dichotomy of ghost town imagery with technological innovation? Have any ideas? Post them in the comments.
AW Helping Hands: Reedy Creek Park
On July 23, 2011, Addison Whitney participated in another successful Helping Hands volunteer event for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation at Reedy Creek Park. Reedy Creek Nature Preserve protects 737 acres of natural, forested habitat within Reedy Creek Park. There are over ten miles of hiking trails in the nature preserve for the outdoor enthusiast, giving visitors the opportunity to explore a variety of terrains, while enjoying scenic views of small lakes, forests, fields, streams, and wild life.
Addison Whitney helped to resurface the Nature Center's garden area. Volunteers also installed several hummingbird feeders around the Nature Preserve. Reedy Creek volunteer coordinator, Pepe Chavez commented, "Our garden was in desperate need of some love so we started right away weeding the walk ways resurfacing them with a fresh layer of screening in preparation for Hummingbird Festival; a special event on August 27 that attracts over 2,500 visitors to the nature center making this our biggest special event at Reedy Creek." Additionally, donations provided will cover the cost of slide mats for a nearby playground area.
Despite the rising temperatures in Charlotte on that Saturday morning, all participants left the event with more knowledge of our county's parks and eager to continue giving back to help beautify our parks!
Find Reedy Creek Nature Center on Facebook to find out about other upcoming events!
Contributed by: Cathleen Foley
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AW Helping Hands: Birthday Blessing
Through AW Helping Hands, a company-wide volunteer initiative, Addison Whitney employees jump started the month of May by throwing a birthday party at the Salvation Army Center of Hope in uptown Charlotte . Bright Blessings is a non-profit that operates projects for thousands of homeless children across the Charlotte region. Its core program “Bless-A-Birthday,” is a monthly birthday party given at a homeless shelter to enliven the spirits, and celebrate the birthdays of the shelter's children.
Many Addison Whitney employees volunteered to attend the party at the Center of Hope, home for women and children. The team assembled goody bags and transformed the home into an energetic party scene. The party included tables for crafts & coloring, game spots, and of course, cupcakes! Volunteers and kids alike spent the evening enjoying their time together playing games, mini-bowling, competing for prizes, and to see who could walk away the most candy.
As the 50 children sang a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" to this month's guests of honor it was especially touching to see the grateful and happy smiles projected from every mother's face. Judging by the happy parents and chocolate covered faces of the children the party was a huge success! We at Addison Whitney are so glad we got to celebrate the May birthdays with the children, and look forward to the next opportunity to lend a helping hand to our community.
Contributed by: Emily Hassell
Giving Back
Each year Addison Whitney participates in GRACE (Giving Relief and Care to our Elderly), a charitable initiative funded entirely by donations from employees. Donations help support senior citizens in our local community.
We recently visited Sardis Oaks Nursing Home to see the newly updated beauty salon our donation helped fund. The salon was given a fresh coat of paint and new cabinets and mirrors were put in.
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Be a Light to the Village
For our December Helping Hands event, AW chose to sponsor the Christmas Village Toy Store at the request of one of our visual designers. It is a suggestion that many AW employees embraced, as the excitement of children at Christmas far outweighs our own as adults.
The inspiration came in 2006 for The Christmas Village Toy Store, a collaborative effort among several area churches that is designed to empower and develop at-risk urban communities in Charlotte. The store itself preserves and promotes joy and dignity at Christmas by engaging a free market system, allowing shoppers to pay a discounted price for desired items rather than be forced to accept “charity.”
Both those who donate toys or volunteer their time and shoppers who purchase toys contribute to store profits that are reinvested into the local community through educational grants and scholarships. Because of this, even the shoppers at the Toy Store are “paying it forward” into their own communities.
Addison Whitney was able to donate several boxes and bags full of toys for children ranging in age from infant to teenager. There were dolls, mp3 players, blocks, books, bath accessories and much more. In addition to donating toys, several employees, along with their friends or spouses, volunteered their time to helping the Toy Store prepare and run the shopping events. We were represented as toy pricers and parking lot attendants.
We would like to say thank you to Warehouse 242 and the other Charlotte-area churches who are part of the Christmas Village Toy Store for allowing us the opportunity to give to such an amazing organization. We look forward to being part of the initiative in the future, whether as individuals or as a company.
A Fresh Start
Sarah is a Charlotte-area junior who has been a Girl Scout for ten years.
She is now in the final stage of earning her Gold Award.
Much like the Eagle Award is to the Boy Scouts of America, the Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA. Only about 5% of eligible Scouts successfully earn the prestigious award. The Scout must complete 30 hours of leadership work, 40 hours of career exploration, and the 4Bs Challenge during which the scout identifies key needs in her community. After those steps have been taken, she must complete a service project. This service project must extend beyond GSUSA and provide a lasting benefit. It requires a minimum of 65 hours of work.
Sarah says that the homelessness crisis in Charlotte has been a passion of hers for many years, primarily due to her mother’s involvement with the Urban Ministry Center for almost half of Sarah’s life. Because of this, it was an easy decision for Sarah to determine her Gold Award project, as she has grown up working with homeless people.
For her project, called “A Fresh Start,” she is compiling 85 laundry baskets full of basic household items, including dish detergent, washcloths, hangers and sponges, to be donated to the upcoming residents of Charlotte’s newly constructed Moore Place, a housing facility built by the Urban Ministry Center. Moore Place will be Charlotte’s first permanent supportive home built to give a roof to chronically homeless men and women. Sarah’s aim is to provide these baskets as a house warming gift and starter pack.
As a Helping Hands event for November, Addison Whitney collected enough goods to fill two laundry baskets with the household items. These items will benefit two new residents of Moore Place and will make a dramatic impact in getting these new residents settled in their new homes.
Sarah plans to help the residents move in and hopes to continue working with them long after their first bottle of laundry detergent runs out.
If you’d like to put together a basket for Sarah’s project, please visit her website.
You can read more about Moore Place here.